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How cities can drive opportunity for the bulk of their citizens
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Urban Reform Institute
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Urban Reform Institute is a 501c3 Non-Profit organization
that exists to promote approaches that enable cities to
drive opportunity for the bulk of their citizens.
Houston Housing Market 3rd Quarter 2017: Impact of Harvey Strongest in Resale Market
in Housing, Urban Issues/by Lawrence Deanby Lawrence Dean — Houston’s new home market and general economic conditions cannot be discussed without considering the impacts of Hurricane Harvey, which damaged 167,000 single family homes throughout the Greater Houston Area.
COU Standard of Living Index 2017 – 2nd Annual Edition
in Reports, Urban Issues/by COUIn this policy brief, The COU Standard of Living Index, Wendell Cox provides cost of living estimates for new entrants to metropolitan markets, including prospective home buyers as well as renters.
The Future of America’s Suburbs Looks Infinite
in Housing, Suburbs/by Joel Kotkin and Alan Bergerby Joel Kotkin and Alan Berger — Just a decade ago, suburbia’s future seemed perilous; the head of HUD proclaimed that “sprawl” was now doomed, and people were “headed back to the city.”
Los Angeles Transit Ridership Losses Lead National Decline
in Demographics, Economics, Urban Issues/by Wendell Coxby Wendell Cox — In recent days, two well placed commentaries have detailed the recent declines both in US transit ridership, and in particular, Los Angeles, where the decline is most severe.
San Francisco Bay Area Housing 3Q17: Affordability Limits Continue to Be Tested
in Housing, Urban Issues/by Greg Gross“The story in this market continues to be affordability, or the lack thereof,” said Greg Gross, Regional Director of Metrostudy’s Northern California market. “Our average “offer to build” base price for new Single Family detached homes is up 17%…
A U.S. Home Ownership Turnaround?
in Housing/by Wendell Coxby Wendell Cox — The Census Bureau reports that home ownership in the U.S. rose to 63.9 percent in the third quarter of 2017, continuing the rising trend since the second quarter of 2016…
Rising Rents are Stressing Out Tenants and Heightening America’s Housing Crisis
in Housing/by Joel Kotkin and Wendell Coxby Joel Kotkin with Wendell Cox — The home-buying struggles of Americans, particularly millennials, have been well documented. Yet a recent study found that the often-proposed “solution” of renting is not much of a panacea.
Ending Economic Apartheid
in Housing, Planning/by Randal O’Tooleby Randal O’Toole — Thanks to its greenbelt and slow-growth policies, Boulder, Colorado is the nation’s most-expensive and least-affordable housing market of any city not in a coastal state.
Progressive Cities: Home of the Worst Housing Inequality
in Housing/by Wendell Coxby Wendell Cox — America’s most highly regulated housing markets are also reliably the most progressive in their political attitudes.
Local Empowerment Should Be About Local Matters
in Planning, Small Cities, Urban Issues/by Aaron M. RennI’ve generally been someone who wants to see local governments have more power and flexibility to meet local needs. My rationale is simple. States are full of diverse communities that are a bad fit for one size fits all policies. Chicago, Danville, Peoria, Cairo, etc. are radically different places. They have different circumstances, needs, and […]